Top 10 Tricks Marketing Companies Use to Get You Hooked

If you own a business, chances are you have employed the services of a marketing company at one time or another. You may even have your own in-house marketing team that you rely on, to promote your products and services in an effort to increase your ROI. There are several different strategies and marketing tricks to attract customers; some of them work better in certain environments than others. However, all of the strategies have one thing in common: they are proven marketing tricks that are meant to get you hooked and keep coming back for more.

1. Scarcity - This is one of the most prevalent tricks used across many different industries. Think about the last time you were searching for the cheapest airfare online. If you are like most consumers, you generally look for cheap tickets on sites like Expedia, Orbitz, or other comparison sites. Have you ever noticed the text above the flights and prices that reads “Only 3 left at this price”? If you have, this is a perfect example of the idea of scarcity and how companies like Sherpa Marketing, utilize it to make you feel you need to buy immediately.

2. Social Proof - This is a big one in today’s social media-driven climate. Many companies have their social media profiles proudly displayed on their websites with their number of likes, followers, etc. Why do the companies do this? It’s to show that other people like or follow their brand. What does that mean for them in the long run? It can translate into more sales and higher profits because you may make a purchase based on what your friends or peer groups are doing. Social proof is a very simple and effective concept.

3. Nostalgia - This simple trick is effective because it targets your emotions about the past or things that make you feel good. Think about the holiday season and you will see many companies market their products heavily during this time period. They use references to holidays of the past when things were simpler and much easier, right? All of these subtle references bring up feelings of happiness and nostalgia for a bygone time. They conjure up feelings of happiness and when you are happy you tend to consume more. Cha-ching!

4. Store Atmosphere - This is a marketing tactic utilized by retailers all over the globe. Take popular retailer Abercrombie & Fitch, for example. Anytime you walk into any of their stores, you are immediately greeted by their signature fragrance. It’s pumped through their ventilation system all day long in every single store. This is a perfect example of a sensory marketing tactic. It creates a sense of consistency across all store locations, and it disarms you and leaves you spending more than you had intended to.

5. Testimonials/Relationship Marketing - This is a favorite of online giants like Tripadvisor and many others, giving the consumer the ability to rate their experience and relate with other customers thus creating more visits for the company over time, subsequently leading to higher revenue generated. People love to share their opinions, and relationship marketing and testimonials are a powerful marketing tool that ensure repeat traffic.

6. BOGO Offers - the “buy one get one free” sale is another favorite of retailers. What this simple trick does is make you feel that you need to stock up immediately on the free item. This can make you spend more money than you would have otherwise.

7. False Sense of Urgency - This tactic goes hand in hand with the scarcity trick for a one-two punch that is just too good to pass up. Retailers and marketing companies create a false sense of urgency through limited time offers, flash sales, and one-day sales to make you feel that if you don’t act now you will miss out on something special. Works like a charm every single time.

8. Freebies - This is a favorite of many online companies that provide freebies in the form of downloads, calendars, E-books and other types of collateral. They provide their visitors with value first to get them coming back to the site again and again. The end goal here is that somewhere along the line, you will eventually make a purchase. Most of the time you have to enter your email address to get the free offer and once you do, the company can email you with targeted offers to get you to spend in the future.

9. Price Anchoring - This one may not be as obvious as some of the others on the list, but price anchoring works quite simply. Items are priced at a much higher rate than they would be normally so that when the retailer puts the item on sale, the customer sees a huge value in the new price and rushes to make a purchase. For example, you may see a pair of sunglasses in your favorite store that costs $200, and then they are marked down to $100. You immediately make the purchase because you are saving $100. You wouldn’t have spent $200 on the sunglasses, but $100? No problem.

10. Membership Rewards Programs - Join the club! Don’t you want to be a part of our rewards program? From frequent-flier miles to rewards programs at your local supermarket and retail stores, everyone has a membership program these days. While there are some real benefits attached to most of these programs, the whole concept behind them is customer retention and loyalty. How many times have you made airline purchasing decisions based on their frequent-flier program? You always want to fly with the companies that align with your rewards program, right?